AN OVERSUBSCRIBED primary school will be able to expand its temporary site before moving to a new home.

The Heights Primary School in Caversham hopes to relocate from Gosbrook Road to Mapledurham Playing Fields (MPF).

Although the expansion was approved by the council's planning committee on Wednesday (May 30) the children will not be able to use part of Westfield Recreation Ground as part of the project.

Campaigners and councillors were not convinced that fencing-off part of the much-loved fields was appropriate, while other councillors argued compromises needed to be made to allow the school to open as normal in September.

Alex Vulger, from Friends of Westfield Park, slammed the suggestion to use the playing field due to the loss of green space.

He added: "There is no attempt to predict further noise pollution. This development goes against a national planning policy.

"There has been no tendering process for these works and other schools will suffer financially this year due to empty spaces.

The number of children at the school will continue to grow annually by 50 places a year to allow the school to reach a capacity of 325 pupils by 2020.

Reading Borough Council approved plans for the new school to be built on MPF, which upset a number of residents after months of campaigning.

Caversham councillor Adele Barnett-Ward asked for the expansion to be approved, but told the committee to think about an alternative solution for recreation 'that works for everyone.'

Councillor Tony Page, deputy leader of the council, stressed the urgency of this application and said councillors would be 'failing in their duty' to provide spaces if they did not sort this problem out as soon as possible.

He added: "Sometimes you need a degree of inconvenience in order to achieve the longer game."

The Heights is already at capacity with 225 students and St Anne's Primary School agreed to help with the intake by erecting a new two-storey block on part of the site.

Karen Edwards, head teacher, said: "We have a significant number of very young and vulnerable children, some with additional needs.

"We have tried to reassure everyone that we will keep our use of Westfield Park to a minimum."